KHYBER: The dispute over acquisition of land for the state-of-the-art customs terminal at the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham continues to simmer as construction work paces ahead to complete the project by the end of this year.

Khuga Khel tribe elders allege that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), with whom they had originally signed an agreement on the provision of over 300 kanals of their collective land near the Torkham border for the construction of the terminal, had redesigned its structure and also ‘grabbed’ over 400 kanals of additional land without their consent.

With the FBR opting to stay in the background, the tribal elders ‘pointed their guns’ at the National Logistic Cell (NLC) since it was awarded the contract and present on ground to execute the construction plan.

Mufti Ejaz, a spokesman for the ‘aggrieved’ Khuga Khel tribesmen and a senior JUI-F leader, insisted that they were never taken into confidence about the revised plan of the customs terminal and the subsequent encroachment of over 400 kanals of additional land.

Tribe accuses FBR of ‘grabbing’ additional 400 kanals without consent; NLC says not a single inch of land to be utilised unlawfully

He said the Khuga Khel tribe and the residents of Khyber district were not against the construction of the terminal as it would provide the much-needed employment opportunities to the local people and give impetus to bilateral trade with Afghanistan. They only demanded ‘fair deal’ regarding the acquisition of any additional land for the purpose, he added.

The Khuga Khel tribesmen had during a protest rally in Landi Kotal on March 12 threatened to forcibly stop the terminal’s construction if their grievances were not addressed within a week. They, however, failed to muster the required strength to materialise their ‘threat’ after the expiry of the deadline and opted for a negotiated settlement of the issue.

Nisar Ahmad, a Khuga Khel elder and member of the nine-member negotiating committee, however, told Dawn that the issue was long resolved and any criticism or reservations over the revised agreement with the government were uncalled for and was of ‘no significance’. He said five of the nine members of the negotiating team had consented to the provision of additional 404 kanals of their collective land to the FBR and thus there was no question of ‘disputing the agreement’ and sabotaging the construction of the customs terminal.

Dawn tried to reach the FBR officials concerned for their comments on the revised plan of the terminal and the acquisition of additional land, but they did not respond to repeated queries.

When approached for comments on part of the NLC, Abdul Aziz Khattak, the organisation’s general manager in Torkham, told Dawn that not a single inch of the Khuga Khel land would be occupied or utilised for the under-construction terminal without lawful authority.

He, however, said that as per NLC’s information, there was a difference of some 16 kanals of land after the signing of the revised agreement and that too would be ‘sorted out’ with revised rates in due course of time.

He also clarified that the main highway passing through the centre of the customs terminal was the property of National Highways Authority, while natural stream falling within the terminal’s jurisdiction was state property and there were also some individual owners of some of the land acquired for the terminal who were duly compensated.

Mr Khattak insisted that the NLC with FBR assistance would conduct the final measurement of the terminal upon its completion by the end of this year and all stakeholders, including the Khuga Khel elders, would be invited to see the actual size of the terminal premises. He acknowledged that some additional land was acquired as the drawing of the terminal was revised after additional facilities were added to it on the request of the Khuga Khel elders and local traders, transporters and customs clearing agents.

“Let the project be completed peacefully and if anything found in excess of the written agreement, it would be duly compensated without any delay”, he said while responding to repeated objections and protests by the tribesmen.

Explaining the salient features of the terminal, he said that under the procedure, customs clearance of loaded vehicles would be done under a one-window system while goods declaration procedure could be performed through internet under the WebBasedOne Custom system by the importers and exporters from any part of the country or abroad.

“The terminal, which will be of an international standard and will provide all the basic facilities to traders, transporters and customs officials, would be completed and fully operational by the end of 2023”, Mr Khattak told Dawn.

The new terminal will have a cumulative parking facility for at least 500 vehicles which will hugely minimise traffic mess on the main Peshawar-Torkham highway.

“The terminal is also designed to offer rapid passenger immigration process, efficient cargo checking and handling alongside e-lanes for even faster clearance and a sufficiently large parking space for at least 500 trucks awaiting clearance,” he said.

Though the idea of constructing the much-needed terminal was conceived in 2003, the construction work was delayed till 2015 due to the security situation in the region and also a row over the acquisition of the required land which was owned by the Khuga Khel sub-tribe of Landi Kotal.

The construction, when finally started seven years ago, confronted many hurdles and delays caused by the protests held by the Khuga Khel tribe against the terms and conditions for acquisition of the required land.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2023